Tonight was spent mostly searching through and out-of-date Writer’s Market Guide and comparing it to the websites of publishers. A few publishers have gone belly-up since 2007 which leads me to want to submit only to publishers that have been around the block a few times. Other than that it is a long process of research that most people probably don’t realize is a part of an author’s job. I have to find the publishers that best fit my book, research their guildines, make a proposal that is suited to them and hope upon hope that they like it. So, beyond the hours of creativity and more hours of painstaking editing and rewrites there are the hours of research and proposal writing. And all of those hours could amount to nothing more than a form letter of rejection that doesn’t even specify why the book was rejected. After a three to six month wait.

Tonight my most promising publisher is looking like Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. They published a lot of Madeleine L’Engle’s works back when no one else would. I’d like to delude myself into thinking that since I strive to be like Madeleine in my work, they’ll like me. Then sense hits me and I realize that fact probably has nothing to do with whether they will like my book or not. But hey, don’t we all look for that false silver lining now and then? Works for me.

I’m not done looking through my list of young adult publishers, and I am hoping that an updated version of the Writer’s Market might also illuminate some more possibilities. I have now exhausted by top four picks for Canadian publishers so now I’m going on to publishers in America and around the world as well as a few small presses. Not sure when I will resubmit, but I am hoping it will be sometime in January 2010.

Okay, so say somehow someone finally wants my book. It’ll be another 12-36 months before it hits the shelves. That’s not really a big deal to me, per-say, but it is sort of annoying when I really want people to have access to my work. But those 12-36 months will give me a chance to hype everyone up about it. Silver lining again? Maybe.

But I am getting ahead of myself here. First step: find a publisher. If stubbornness can be a gift, then it should be in this case. I need to stand firmly behind work that I believe in, because I do believe in it.

If you believe in it, then you’re along for the ride with me! If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that no one can succeed in any field without friends and family firmly behind them believing in them. That’s your job!

My job? For now, research and proposals, and (hopefully) getting into a new book.

On another note: I came across this really neat looking book tonight put out by Bloomsbury Children. It’s called “Pastworld.” They have a trailer on their website that I encourage you to check out. I have placed it near the top of my “to read” list. I actually said out loud “What an idea!”

That’s it for tonight.

Embrace Truth,

Kayleigh

It’s all I know: this empty road. It keeps me looking for a place in your heart.

Just a quick note to say that Coteau books did indeed reject my book! They didn’t say why either, just that they didn’t want it. Ho-hum, it’s off to the next publisher with me. Not sure which one that is (I have a list I need to consult), but I will update when I have sent it out again. So far the count is 4 rejections and no takers! Although I’ve read the ratio between acceptance and rejection is about 12 to 1, but even that seems generous to me. I say this every time, but my favourite author waited for two years to get her prize winning novel published, so I really can’t complain.

In the mean time, please go ahead and read up on the book I am trying to get published (my “In the Works” tab) and leave me a comment. I’m always game for a little monkey island insult, or a story about something topical. In this case a great rejection story would be just the thing.

Embrace truth, (this is catching on, though I still think I like Ted’s ‘Dive Deep’ better… does he have that copywrited I wonder?)

Indeed on nights like tonight. What I’d like to be doing is writing away at something but it seems that at the end of my week I’m just too tired to do it. It’s frustrating, this having to work a normal job thing because I find that at the end of the day I’m just too drained to work creatively. I want to more than ever, but the energy and brain power are lacking. I suppose it wouldn’t bother me if this is how it always was, but I am used to having a lot more time to write and thus my productivity has fallen. This is only natural, but I suppose on some subconscious level I get discouraged because I can not do as much.

Still waiting to hear from Coteau Books. They’ve had my manuscript for almost four months now and should be getting back to me at any point here – according to their website they reply within 3 -4 months.

In the past week I’ve started and abandonded about four different stories. I suppose it’s sort of a writer’s block, but I think it also has to do with my level of energy and time frame. None of those stories have had sticking power – none had a compelling enough story line or character for me to want to keep them going. I am hoping it’s like anything: you weed out the bad ideas until the perfect one arrives. I feel like an impatient child whose parent is trying to teach her to wait for the good things. I don’t want to wait; I want the story now. I hunger for it. I can not wait to dig into it and work it all out; can’t wait to live out my characters. But I have to. The verse “Be still and wait for the Lord” has been playing over in my head. Too bad the ADD/OCD makes it hard to be still AND wait…

Not that anyone comes to this site very often, but in case people do start to see it as a place for community, I’d like to have a little discussion in the comments about what your passions are and how you’ve had to be patient to realize them. Share in the frustration, I’ve heard that misery loves company (no I’m not miserable!).

Embrace truth,

Kayleigh

“The truth be told I don’t know who’s at the helm… just sit tight and I’ll make my way to you…” (Matt Good)